Pensioner, 96, told his mobility scooter could be a ‘terrorist threat’

Frank Curtis left his scooter, not pictured, unattended (Picture: Alamy)

A 96-year-old pensioner was told his mobility scooter could be seen as a terrorist threat.

Frank Curtis had left his scooter unattended, parked near his local shopping centre in Barnet – sparking fears that it could contain an explosive.

Fortunately it wasn’t destroyed in a controlled explosion – instead Spires centre management left a note telling Curtis not to leave the scooter unattended ‘in light of current world terrorist events’.

Curtis told the Barnet & Whetstone Press: ‘I find this extremely unreasonable as the area and surrounding high road is filled with parked cars, which could be packed with explosives and form a far greater danger than my open exposed scooter.’

A spokeswoman for the Spires later apologised to Curtis, and said the matter would be dealt with internally.

‘The safety and security of shoppers is of utmost concern for the centre management and security team at The Spires shopping centre,’ she said.

‘Therefore, on being advised of public concerns raised over a mobility scooter that was often left unattended on the mall over long periods of time, a member of the security team left a note for the owner asking him to remove the scooter in future.’